Two new taxa of Festuca (Poaceae) from the southeastern Iberian Peninsula

Abstract

A new species, Festuca greuteri, from the southeast of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain) is described. The new taxon is recognised with two patterns of variation with the rank of subspecies: subsp. greuteri, widely distributed throughout the Baetic Mountains (Almería, Granada, Jaén and Málaga provinces, southern Spain), and subsp. camarolensis, located in the westernmost area of distribution, in the Sierra de Camarolos and Sierra del Jobo (Málaga province, southern Spain). This species belongs to Festuca sect. Festuca, and it had been overlooked or misidentified as F. segimonensis and F. longiauriculata, two species that are partially sympatric with it. Herbarium specimens and living plants were analysed, and noteworthy morphological and anatomical differences support their separation. A complete description is presented for the new species, and iconography and identification keys are provided together with information on leaf anatomy, ecology, phenology, and distribution. The new species is compared with the related species occurring in the southeastern Iberian Peninsula, and differential characters are discussed.